International Week is an annual celebration for Iowa State’s diversity hosted by the International Student Council (ISC). This year’s International Week will feature five nights of events so participants can pick and choose the ones they want to attend.

The events are:

World Cuisine, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, South Ball Room of the MU:

This event is International Week’s big opening. Nine multicultural student organizations will showcase international cuisine from all over the world. Entrance tickets are on pre-sale for $2 until Friday at the West Student Office Space in Memorial Union. Participants can also purchase the tickets at the event’s gate on Nov. 4 for $3. The money collected from entrance tickets will go toward international student scholarship programs.

Along with the entrance tickets, food coupons are 50 cents a piece. Food and beverage items at the event cost from one coupon to 10 coupons. This year, ISC members will make the food portion smaller and price lower, so participants can try more food for limited stomach spaces.

Participants will have the opportunity to taste food prepared by Arba Student Association, Brazilian Student Organization, Ames Students Organization for Malaysian Students, Chinese Language Club, Vietnamese Student Association, Sankalp, Russian Club, Vietnamese International Student Association, Japanese Student Association, Pakistan Student Association and Indonesian Student Association.

International Dance Night, 6-9 p.m. Monday, Great Hall of the MU:

Seven dance clubs and student organizations will perform for the dance night. Three of them will compete on stage, and judges and the audience will elect a “judges’ choice” and “people’s choice” for the best dance performances.

The dance forms will feature Indian dance, Latin dance, Iranian dance, Moroccan dance and hip-hop.

The other four groups will showcase their traditional or modern dance forms for the audience. Then an open dance night will take place at the end of International Dance Night where event attendees can show off their dance skills.

This event is free for all and will have raffles for gift cards.

International Game Night, 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Campanile Room of the MU:

The theme of the game night is “Candy Land.” Participants will have the chance to experience traditional games from six countries, including Chinese checkers, an Egyptian game called senet, games from India and Pakistan, as well as various card games from other countries.

There will be a pathway that leads participants to all the games at the night. 

This event is free for all.

Bazaar Night, 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Gallery of the MU:

This event is like a cultural expo. Representatives from each country will set up booths to showcase cultural activities, traditional holidays, traditional clothing, and their country’s climates and landform.

After visiting all the booths, participants can spin a “cultural wheel” with countries’ names on it and answer questions about the country the needle lands on. If they get them right, they will have a chance to win prizes.

ISC members will also have a booth to give attendees henna tattoos, face paint and hair coloring.

This event is free for all, and there will be candy.

International Night, 6-10 p.m. Saturday, Great Hall of the MU:

The finale of this year’s international week is basically a combination of all the four events above. There will be dance performances, a fashion show and free snacks. Although the snacks are limited, so if you want to have any, go early.

International Night focuses on showcasing significant cultural holidays countries celebrate in a year, such as the harvest festivals Asian countries have, Lunar New Year that China celebrates and Christmas, which most western countries celebrate. The performances will have a connection to those holidays.

A Kahoot! game will be designed for participants to play. The winners will be awarded gift cards to local businesses or popular stores.

The International Night is free to attend.

Chandrachur Sengupta, senior in chemical engineering and president of ISC, said Iowa State has international students from 127 countries, and it’s important for them to feel visible on campus.

“For international students who are feeling homesick, we want them to experience their culture in a foreign country and have a sense of home at Iowa State,” Sengupta said. “At the same time for the domestic students, we want them to learn new cultures and overall have a great time.”